Pearl and Silk
by locaste
Summary: A loose re-telling in which Derek and Odette, two unlikely companions embarking on a childhood adventure, happen upon Rothbart, a trickster woodland magician who agrees to grant each of them a wish... wishes which they will be cursed to endure for many years to come.
1. Chapter 1

Stretching my arms wide, I turned my face toward the sky and reveled in the warmth it provided. The day was so beautiful that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, or perhaps both. Standing there, still as the ground beneath my toes, nothing could tear me down. I was so high, floating with the wind that bounded across the tree tops and gently whipped the tips of my hair into my face.

It could have been several minutes I stood there enjoying the sun's warmth, but knowing Derek, it was probably only mere moments until he ardently called out to me from somewhere up ahead.

"C'mon, Odette! We haven't got all day!"

After one more moment of wholesome bliss, I tore my nose away from the sky and lept off towards the impatient boy who had already made his way through the golden meadow. He currently waited just beyond its skirts, near the edges of the connecting forest. I laughed childishly when I spied that the handsome dark-haired boy was bouncing anxiously, clearly impatient with my naive antics. I couldn't help it, though; my behavior was beyond my control. It was simply how I was raised. I was taught to live each day as if I would never see another again, to wake with the sunrise and to see the beauty in everything. I was raised by a gardener.

It was days like this, however, that made me forget the fact that I was a poor man's daughter. Here with the Queen's son, playing in the glowing meadow, we were absolutely anything we wanted to be. No one scolded us for the lack of slippers on our feet, or the untidiness of our robes, or even the fact that a boy of royal blood was fraternizing with a gardener's daughter. We held no rank or title in the forest; we were just two friends.

"Must you be so girlish?" he protested once I had finally caught up to him. "Have you already forgotten that we're on an adventure? I knew I shouldn't have allowed a _baby_ to come along." He grumbled the last part as he swiftly turned on his heel and began trudging through the deep copse of trees. I battled with my lips to hide the frown that came with the brutal insult.

"Oh please, _Prince Derek_ ," I teased sarcastically, scrambling behind his rapid footsteps. "They're my adventures just as much as they're yours. It's usually _you_ who follows _me_ around, remember?" I defended. It was silent for a moment before I remembered what he had so contemptuously called me. "And I'm no baby; I'm twelve winters, only two winters younger than you!"

"Well, you've yet to prove it," he stated matter-of-factly. I made a small 'humph' noise, but nonetheless could not hide the small smile that came to my face. I folded my arms and bumped him lightly with my elbow. Derek turned to me with a sly smile upon his face, and suddenly we both threw our heads back and let out synchronized laughter. Slowly, laughter grew into giggles, and then all that was left were two small smiles and a vanishing echo as we kept walking.

Derek and I were both so stubborn, but I think that we enjoyed having someone to quarrel with every once in a while. Our parents had long ago stopped trying to argue with our juvenile nonsense, and nowadays just sighed hopelessly and let us have our way. Sometimes I couldn't figure out whether we were extremely similar or complete opposites, but either way, we were meant to be best friends. We were each other's perfect compliments.

The two of us walked on for a good while, a comfortable silence about the air. The only noise amongst us was the common sounds of the forest and the occasional hiss of annoyance every time I tripped in the leaves or a shrub scratched my leg. I followed hurriedly behind his towering figure, though, trying my best to keep pace. If I let him see any weakness in me he might not let me join in ' _his_ ' adventures anymore, and I adored his company.

The young Prince Derek was a tall lad, already built beyond his fourteen years. He was by no means brute or brawny, but one could easily tell by his physique that he carried much potential and was well on his way to becoming a warrior of a prince. I suppose was quite the opposite; almost resembling the baby he oft refs to me as. Petite and fragile, the only thing womanish about me was my high cheekbones and my long, cascading wheaten curls that tangled in branches as I scurried behind him.

After a short while more of walking, I inquired mildly; "Derek, where are we going?"

It was a few moments' time before he replied, all the while shielding his eyes from a patch of sunshine that streamed its way through the foliage above us. "I'm not really sure, I just felt like exploring today." I said nothing, as I had no qualms with this. It was something we did often enough- traversed around here and there, in search of some adventure or scheme to cause trouble in. A year or two ago, on particularly boring or disappointing excursions, we had even created our own imaginary adventures full of swashbuckling pirates and evil sorcerers. Those games were long in the past however, declared "too childish to be played by a prince" by Derek some time ago.

I caught him sigh slightly in disappointment. "So much for adven-"

He froze mid-step and sucked in his breath, but not before I managed to lurch roughly into his back. I rubbed my forehead and cocked my head up to confront him.

It was then that I saw it.

Before us laid a gleaming lake sprinkled with lily pads and cattails of all sorts. Sparkling with a hue I was certain I had never seen before, the almost cerulean water was a picturesque compliment to the rich greenery surrounding it. There were a few cream-colored swans that gracefully drifted about the rippling water, unnoticing of our arrival. Around the lagoon, the air seemed to glow golden, emitting a radiance that was almost mystical. It was one of the most eloquently ornate places I had ever seen; subtlety garish, if such a thing were even possible. It even took me a moment to realize that the thin, stiff trees in the forest behind us did not exist here, but rather were replaced with huge, towering willows.

I don't know how long we stood, mouth agape, soaking in the splendor of the ethereal place, but neither of us spoke until we heard the unexpected echo of a twig cracking somewhere behind us. Simultaneously, we whirled around in search of the origin of the noise.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a coarse voice, hidden somewhere in the trees. I instinctively shrank back, taking small steps rearward. My eyes darted around the dense wood restlessly, almost entirely forgetting about the beautiful pond.

Suddenly the voice was back but this time it came from behind us, near the pond.

"Don't be frightened…"

We whirled again toward the sickly sweet voice. It's menacing timbre was doused in such a sickly sweet tone that it made me sick. It was black ooze in my veins. It was a sweet candied apple like the ones I loved so much from the festival, but the caramel coating could not hide the fact that the apple was rotten to the core.

I did not want to have my back to this voice for even a moment.

"Derek," I whispered uneasily, clutching at his forearm. I may have been young, but I could sense with every fiber in me that something was not right here. Derek took a protective stance before me, and I did my best to ignore the sensation of dread in my gut.

"Show yourself!" he shouted at the phantom. I was impressed by the certainty in his voice, for I could feel his body trembling beneath my grasp.

"Now, now," it cooed. "No need to be so hostile, young man." For the last time, we spun toward the spirit voice as it came from beside us. I suppressed a terrified sound that bubbled in my throat as I set my eyes upon the owner of the rough voice.

We looked upon a man, at least I _thought_ it was a man, covered in layers and layers of robes as black as night. Several feathers, mostly ebony in color, adorned his tattered clothing and a fur of some sort lined his collar. It was not his clothing that frightened me, however. It was the pallor of his skin. His skin was white, but not the lively, pearl color of the swans in the lake. Rather, he was so pale that his dead skin possessed an almost indigo tint. I could hardly bear looking at his chilly lips, so blue with death and cold, despite the summer heat.

After taking in his abrasive appearance, I looked up only to meet his probing eye. I realized horrifyingly that whilst his words were spoken to the boy in front of me, the man's eyes were intensely glued upon my own. Shivers ran up and down my spine. Derek must have sensed it, for he shifted his weight onto his other foot in order to better cover my now trembling frame. I felt as if my bones would break and turn to dust from all my shaking.

"Shh, Odette, it's fine," Derek cooed silently, throwing his voice backward towards me. My trembling ceased for a mere moment, but my ever-growing fear still seemed to reach lethal levels. It didn't help much when the creature's beady eyes lit up with mention to my name.

"Odette, is it? Oh, what a beautiful name for such a bonny young lass…" he trailed off, daring to take one step closer to our huddled bodies. Disgusted and horror-struck, I could no longer contain my whimpering.

"Relax, children, it is not in my agenda to harm you." The man-beast then mumbled something under his breath and grinned malevolently, as if he were admiring own private joke. We had not caught the second half of his remark, but I think we caught the gist of it. His smirk did nothing to appease my terror.

I somehow dug up a voice to speak with from deep within my gut. It was timid and barely above a whisper, but I was surprised that I could muster any noise at all through the thick cloud of dread.

"Then… what are you here for?"

At this, he beamed like the blistering sun and began to pace before us, explaining himself all the while.

"That, my dear, is a wonderful question, and I think you may like the answer." He stopped, turned, and faced us once more. Leaning forward, he beckoned us closer as if to share some clandestine secret. It was all we could to not to lean further away from him. "I come to grant you your wishes," he stated very simply.

"Our… wishes."

"Yes child, your wishes. This preternatural place is my home," he claimed, his voice thick with hauteur, "and I grant everyone who stumbles upon it their dearest wish. I must find _some_ way to exercise my power."

"What _are_ you?" Derek asked intrepidly.

"I am the magician Von Rothbart," he chortled, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. Then, he spoke flatly. "Now, make your wish before I tire of this game."

We stood frozen for a few moments before Derek stepped forward, allowing my death grip on his arm to slip. I sucked in my breath. He wasn't actually going to listen to this man, was he?

"I-I…"

"Derek, no!" whispered harshly, and then began to speak uneasily to the man. "S-sir, it is almost dusk and we should be on our way home. T-thank you, b-but we really must be going!" I quickly grabbed a hold of Derek's arm and turned to dash back through the woods, but somehow he could not be budged. I whirled around to face him, and found that he was in front of me now, boring into my soft blue irises with his own pleading brown ones.

"Please, Derek…" I whispered helplessly. In less than an instant, he whipped back around and fearlessly approached the man. I felt naked and exposed without him as my guard.

"You are a magician, you say? Well, I know what I wish to ask for. But you must first prove to me your power."

The man lay a scrutinizing eye upon my friend, and then after a long moment, replied with a ' _Very well, then_.'

Without any further warning, Von Rothbart cast his arm out sideways and pointed one of his stubby, gloved fingers towards a dying shrub near the glimmering pond, and a few of his feathers fluttered to the ground in the process. The deteriorating bush looked out of place in the brilliant, almost sunburned atmosphere, but with an incoherent shout from the man-creature, it swiftly flourished and bloomed with blossoms of a nature I had never seen before. The flowering thing now matched the rest of its surroundings with that same glowing radiance. If I was ever unsure that this man lived here in this place, my doubts were all cast away. _Of course_ the beautiful, unearthly pond seemed uncanny; he _created_ it! Such a shame, it's beauty would now be forever poisoned in my mind.

After what seemed to be a lifetime, Derek began to speak. "I have your word that my wish will be granted?" he verified.

I stared at him, mouth agape in a horrified fashion. We just witnessed this- this _thing_ perform some sort of necromancing magic, and he still wanted to stand around and socialize with it? What on earth was he thinking? This man was a thing of the forest, and the spirits here had only one objective: to wreak havok. Messing with humans was their favorite pastime, and every story I have heard involving creatures of the wood ended in tragedy.

"You have my word, but there is one condition my dear boy."

Narrowing my eyes through the unshed tears quickly accumulating in them, I nearly scoffed out loud. Of course there were conditions. This beast of a man practically screamed 'trickery'.

We stood in silence, willing him to continue. I would have objected, but my voice seemed good and gone and the thick tears once gathered in my eyes fell freely now. I didn't know why he frightened me so, but he did. It was an uncanny knowledge that I simply could not explain.

"You _both_ must make a wish."

Suddenly even more shaken than before, I ran to Derek and buried my face in his chest. He didn't seem taken back, but still did not embrace me. "I won't, Derek. I won't do it," I practically sobbed.

So much for not letting him see my weak side, I guess. At this point, I was not worried about whether or not Derek let me go on any more adventures with him. This all just felt to helplessly wrong, and I needed to stop it before something terrible happened, something that I would regret for years to come. Unfortunately, no matter how I tried to prevent the events of that fateful day, it would still end up being the worst day of my life.

When I pulled away and looked up to meet his piercing eyes, they were waiting. Their usual playfulness was replaced with longing and they silently begged with me. _Please,_ they said desperately. _Please let me have this wish. I_ need _this wish._

I slowly backed away from him, a strange and detached emotion filling my stomach and lungs. I knew what I had to do. I didn't like it, but I figured that I would hate myself even more if I let Derek forever live in agony and regret from not getting his single most desired wish. I simply couldn't live with myself if this boy resented me.

"Alright," I said numbly, never directing my attention away from Derek. "I'll do it."


	2. Chapter 2

_When I pulled away and looked up to meet his piercing eyes, they were waiting. Their usual playfulness was replaced with longing and they silently begged with me. Please, they said desperately. Please let me have this wish. I need this wish._

 _I slowly backed away from him, a strange and detached emotion filling my stomach and lungs. I knew what I had to do. I didn't like it, but I figured that I would hate myself even more if I let Derek forever live in agony and regret from not getting his single most desired wish. I simply couldn't live with myself if this boy resented me._

 _"Alright," I said numbly, never directing my attention away from Derek. "I'll do it."_

* * *

Derek held my gaze for a moment longer, a silent 'thank you' in his eyes. He then turned back around to face the enchanter with a new found look of dangerous determination. I almost scoffed at how quickly he seemed to forget his remorse for my emotional struggle. The boy was a _prince_ , and here he was greedily risking our lives for a meager wish. But I knew that there was absolutely no going back now, no matter how much I wished it. I gave my word and I had to keep it.

"Alright," Derek began. "I wish that-"

"Ah-ah-ah, boy. Ladies first. Isn't that right, _Odette_?" My spine shook with disgust as he purred my name. The magician had a way of slithering through his words, and once or twice, I could have sworn that I caught a glimpse of a blue snake-like tongue flicking between his decaying teeth.

Suddenly I realized that two pairs of expecting eyes were on me, waiting for some sort of reply. When I had agreed to the enchanter's terms, however, it hadn't occurred to me that I would have to conjure up a wish of my own at some point. What would I wish for, anyway? I had no desire for anything in particular, expect for maybe a safe escape from this dreadful situation. So I fumbled over a few replies, stammering for a few moments in hope that something coherent would make its way out of my lips.

Suddenly, as I mumbled embarrassingly, something snapped within the man. In an instant, all of his patience evaporated and was replaced with a white hot anger that would have made the bravest of knights quake in their armor.

" _Enough!_ ," he howled sternly, then began to speak through clenched teeth. "I am not here to play _games_ with you children, I am granting you wishes. So be grateful and get _on_ with it."

In an urgent flash, my eyes flickered around me in search of something, _anything_ that would provide inspiration. And like some sort of miracle sign, a glare caught my eye. I followed the shine to the edge of the lake near the base of a small waterfall, where the sunlight reflected brightly off the pearl feathers of a mingling swan. And suddenly, I knew.

"I wish that I were beautiful, as beautiful as those swans you keep." I stared at him after answering, and all traces of bitterness seemed to have disappeared from his features.

"Hmm…but do you not think yourself already beautiful, dear girl?"

I paused for a moment, the question catching me off guard. I honestly did not know the answer. I had always thought myself a bit boyish, at least in manners if not also in looks. But I tried not to let it show, mostly for my poor, old father's sake. I did my best to keep my golden hair neatly plaited and wore dresses everyday, but somehow, I still always seemed so… wild. I was a daughter of the forest, and no matter how hard I tried to stay prim and proper and graceful, she always managed to reel me back into her gritty ways.

"It does not matter. It is what I wish."

"Fair enough." With that, he turned to Derek, who was waiting patiently in between Rothbart and myself. "And what will it be for you, my prince?"

Derek looked questioningly at him and opened his mouth as if to ask him how he knew of his royal status, but soon after shut it, probably concluding that enchanters must have strange ways of knowing these things. When he really did begin to speak, though, he did so quietly and sullenly.

"I wish that… that I were no longer a prince. I hate the weight of the responsibility, and I hate how they expect so much of me. I don't want to be king. I just want to be… free." Unexpectedly, he turned his back to Rothbart, looked me in the eye, and whispered, "…like Odette." Then, as if with shame, he closed his eyes and hung his head.

After a few torturous moments, Derek turned back to meet the eager eyes of the magician. I almost laughed as shock and a feeling of pleasant surprise coursed through me. All this time I thought Derek to be acting greedily, desiring some material possession like a spoilt prince. But on the contrary, he wanted the exact opposite. My heart swelled for him in a way I didn't understand. Rothbart grinned hysterically then proceeded to crack his gloved knuckles.

"Well, children, I gave my word that your wishes would be granted, and they will be." He paused as if for dramatic effect." But my children, nothing ever comes without a price." He grinned a terrible, disturbing smile and I shivered unwillingly. "You will find that yours will come later tonight, boy. Trust me that you will get every thing you ask for. As for you, Odette…" he trailed off, all the while taking slow, menacing paces towards me. I began to grow more scared than I ever have in my life. My heart plunged deep into darkness and my every limb was suddenly stiff with adrenaline. "Odette's price will come now."

With one great lurching step, the black-and-blue man lunged at me. Time seemed to stand still for a long, dragging moment as clutched at Derek and stared into his eyes, both mirror images of alarm and terror. Derek made a swift move to block Rothbart's pounce, but alas it was not swift enough. The man was quicker. And suddenly, I was totally encompassed in his black robes.

"DEREK!" I screamed, thrashing against the enchanter's strong grip.

" _Odette, no_! Let her go, you old mule!"

Rothbart laughed out loud, barely struggling with my flailing body. Bruises began to form on my arms where he held me. It did not surprise me that he posessed an unearthly strength.

"Don't worry Prince Derek _,_ I will grant her wish, just as I will grant yours. But as of now she is forever mine. You were a fool to have bargained with me; there is always a price to be had, you petulant child. Now go."

" _NO!_ " Derek screamed uneasily, panic and fury etched across his features. "I will not go until you release her!"

I began to stop thrashing and my screams gradually became sobs as I realized the finality of the situation. We had no hope against this man; we were but two children. He had us pinned down from the very moment he set eyes upon us, like a predator and its prey. Derek could yell all he wanted, but I had to face it—he didn't even have a weapon with him. There was absolutely nothing we could do now. And as I realized that I might not ever see the boy again, I whimpered one last request.

"Please," I whispered resignedly, "Just let me say goodbye." All was silent as Rothbart thought it over, but suddenly threw me forward out of his death grip.

"As you wish, but be quick about it." A giant sob escaped my lips as Derek and I dashed towards each other, closing the short space between us. I curled up into his arms and let him brush his fingers through my hair as my chest heaved up and down. I even felt Derek's own hot tears against my cheek.

"I'm sorry, Odette, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'll come back for you." He thrust himself back and placed his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. "I'll get a whole army to come find you if I have to." I believed him. My lip quivered and all I could manage was a small nod of the head. Then, he pulled me back into his arms again.

"We really must be going, _precious_ ," Rothbart purred from behind us, only making Derek hold me tighter.

"Please don't go, Odette. Please don't go." But I knew I had to. I didn't doubt that if we tried to run or escape, the man would attempt to curse us, or worse, kill us.

"Tell my father I love him, Derek." And then I pulled away. Rothbart made no sudden movement towards me as I took a few more steps backward. I stood there between the two men in silence before bowing my head and whispering my last words. "Now, please, Derek. Go while you still can." Derek looked at me funny for a moment as he let one last tear slip from his eye to his lips. Then he disappeared into the trees.

He never came back.


	3. Chapter 3

_"We really must be going, precious," Rothbart purred from behind us, only making Derek hold me tighter._

 _"Please don't go, Odette. Please don't go." But I knew I had to. I didn't doubt that if we tried to run or escape, the man would attempt to curse us, or worse, kill us._

 _"Tell my father I love him, Derek." And then I pulled away. Rothbart made no sudden movement towards me as I took a few more steps backward. I stood there between the two men in silence before bowing my head and whispering my last words. "Now, please, Derek. Go while you still can." Derek looked at me funny for a moment as he let one last tear slip from his eye to his lips. Then he disappeared into the trees._

 _He never came back._

* * *

I cringed as, for the 2,191st night in a row, Von Rothbart descended onto one knee. One knobby, crooked knee.

"My pearl, my precious little swan, will you finally be mine and be free of this enchantment?" he spoke. His ugly voice held a ridiculous amount of hope and greed that was uncalled for. "Let me make you my wife, and together we will reign over the farthest reaches of the land."

I let a sigh slip through my lips. Unfortunately, I was as familiar with these words as I was the back of my very own hand. It had been six long years since the first time he spoke them to me, and when before the words had sounded like the most repulsive and terrifying things a little girl could hear, now they were simply a part of my daily routine. _Wake, bathe, eat, marriage proposal._

To be honest, not once had I ever considered becoming his wife. Of course, I _had_ occasionally contemplated what would become of my future if I accepted his hand, but I always knew that it was never truly an option for me. It was not my path, plain and simple.

' _There is freedom right before your eyes, Odette,'_ he would tell me. _'Just accept my hand and be my wife.'_ But I could not.

I came to terms with the fact that I would never have the future I once dreamed of. I accepted that my only future would be a lonely one, here in this beautifully sad place. 2,191 times I had heard those words of freedom, and 2,191 times I had refused the offer, without a hesitant chord in my voice.

Sometime in these past years I have also come to acknowledg the fact that I would never be the delicate woman I wished to be. I was graceful, no doubt—Von Rothbart the cruel, twisted bastard did grant my wish in his own way, and there was no way that you could be what he made me and not be graceful—but I did not exercise my poise in a reserved, well-mannered way. Especially during the many years I spent dealing with Von Rothbart, there was never a time when my shoulders weren't held back with defiance, nor a time when my face did not display a look of strength of will. When the sorcerer referred to me as "his little pearl," as he liked to do so often, I somehow always managed to keep a certain grace about me whilst spitting at his feet.

And let it be known that I did spit at him most often. Every night I refused him, and every night I did so with all the venom I could muster, for he chained me here with a wicked enchantment, one that only allowed me to be my human self by the light of the moon.

You see, he did not fail to grant me my wish those years ago, when I asked to be beautiful. Oh no, he kept his word, but it was a cruel and unfair deal on my part. By night, I was human, but by day, I was cursed to remain the most graceful and _beautiful_ swan. Those feathers of pearl and silk have been my prison, and this evil man—no matter how innocent he attempted to act in the whole scheme—my captor.

And so the years had made me tough. I was no longer the weak little girl who cried and cried for days when she realized that she would never again gaze upon the sun as a human, or would never again see her father, or know if he lived or died. I was no longer the little girl who looked to the stars every night and wished on them until her heart broke. I was no longer a little girl.

Today, however, I felt different. I was not sure how or why, but today, on the first day of the sixth year, there was a sense of change in the air. Perhaps this was because, even though I woke in complete darkness, I could feel the undeniable freshness of a new day—or night, rather. For tonight the full moon shone so brightly that it made me forget that night was meant to be dark. But I had experienced an abundance of full moons here at this magical lake, maybe close to one hundred of them, and none had ever felt so strangely invigorating. For whatever reason, tonight I had no crude or obnoxious remark waiting to be thrown at Rothbart as soon as he finished his proposal.

"I've told you once, and I will tell you a thousand times more, Rothbart. I shall never marry you." There was no spite in my reply. Perhaps a touch of thinly veiled annoyance, but for the most part it was a simple statement of fact.

I sighed restlessly and let my eyes roam around the glowing lake. When I first discovered this place that day with Derek, I thought that I would never see anything more beautiful as long as I lived. That was before I saw the lake during the nighttime. Even after living here for six whole years, the place did not lose a bit of its glamour.

"Oh, _my little pearl_ , can't you see how much I need you?" he pleaded. He often tried to pull this act, attempting to seem like a poor old thing that simply was not strong enough to resist my 'enticing femininity', but I knew his true nature, and this act pretense did not sway me in the slightest. He trapped me here. He trapped me here until the day that I accept his stubby, mangled hand in marriage. He might as well have cursed me for all of eternity. "Surely in the past years you have thought yourself too young to accept my hand, but now you have blossomed into a woman, a woman that-" he stopped to ogle my body up and down with ravenous little eyes, "that I _need_ to call my own." When I still made no effort to answer his plea, he continued in the same manner. "Precious, why can't tonight be different?"

I paused.

Tonight _will_ be different. I almost spoke the words aloud, but bit my tongue once I thought better of it. Rothbart seemed to catch on to my hesitance and allowed a shocked expression to grace his features as he slowly rose from his kneeling position.

" _Precious_?"

Was I going crazy? What was this tingling sensation that had been tickling veins and assaulting my senses since I awakened at sunset? Indeed I could feel something in the works since then. Perhaps living in the wilderness for as long as I had, I had developed a similar sort of uncanny ability as the twisted old magician. Giving up on my internal struggle, I furrowed my brows and resignedly turned to meet his gaze, a gesture he seemed to interpret as a silent acceptance.

"So, you accept my proposal?" He licked his lips and grinned. "Oh, Odette, I knew that one day you could not refuse any longe-"

"No, old man. I do not accept." My heart indeed was beating a few beats faster with the anticipation of change, but surely it was not pushing me to finally accept the sorcerer's marriage proposal. "But something will change tonight."

All was silent for a moment before he threw his head back with cacophonous laughter.

"Ah, I see," he snickered with malevolence in his coarse voice. And just like that, his act of weakness was discarded, and he was back to his normal state of wickedness. "You think that your little prince is coming back for you, don't you?"

I paused and I searched for the answer to his presumable rhetorical question. Did I actually think that Derek would finally come back for me, just like he had promised? Would tonight be that night that I had never dared let myself hope for?

"No, Von Rothbart. That's not it." Just like I had come to terms with the fact that I would never again be free, I must force myself to accept the fact that Derek lied that never would come back for me.

* * *

"Ouch," I muttered with all the vehemence my little ten year-old self could muster as yet another thorn pierced my leg. I was frustrated, cold, and riddled with mosquito bites. "Derek, I don't think this is such a good idea. It's past dark and we should be home!" He scoffed at me. Loudly.

"We don't have to be anywhere tonight! It's our day off, remember? Mother specifically told me that I had a whole day without any of my normal prince duties, a whole day to do what I wanted. And this is what I want to do." I didn't question why he always seemed to want to spend his free time wandering the woods, as I didn't quite mind it when we wandered in the light of the sun, but wandering at night just didn't seem… sane.

"Yes, an entire _day_ to yourself. It's nighttime, Derek!" He rolled his eyes.

"You know, sometimes I wish that the other servants had children my age that I could play with. But there's only _you_ ," he said, his voice full of unreserved disdain whilst he sent a glance of contempt my way. "So quit being a coward."

This struck a chord deep within me that continued to resonate for the next several minutes. There were times that Derek and I managed like close friends normally would, but then there were moments, more often than not, that I wanted to send my 'girlish' fist barreling into his face. He would tease me, and for some reason which I did no understand, it hurt me. It hurt me more than when Father scolded me for losing my hair ribbon. It even hurt me more than the few trips to the village in which the other children avoided me like the plague out of fear and intimidation of being the Prince's only friend. And that hurt a great deal. I don't know why I craved being in good favors with him so much, but it frightened me and made me severely angry all at once.

"Well," I huffed, still miffed but not quite sure with what to reply. "I'm so sorry _Your Highness_ , but I guess you'll just have to-"

I cried out suddenly as my right foot slipped through an unnoticed hole beneath the leaves. I heard the sickening crack before I felt it, and it took a moment or two for the pain to come. When the pain did come however, it was not polite enough to gently ebb its way into my ankle. Instead it came in harsh, abrasive waves that nearly made me faint. I cried out a twisted and agonizing howl and contorted my face.

Derek, a few paces ahead, whipped around and raced toward me without a moment's hesitation. Taking a tight grip my shoulder that would have made me wince were I not already in so much pain, his expression was a fusion of horror and concern.

"What is it?" He looked down at my foot, now lodged in the deep opening in the sodden ground. "Is it your ankle?"

Unable to concoct a comprehensible answer, I sucked in my bottom lip and nodded my head up and down. Tears were already flowing freely now, despite how much I wanted to keep them in. I blubbered out a sob or two. Later, I would hate myself for looking so pitifully weak in front of Derek.

"Can you move it?" he questioned swiftly. Cautiously, I lifted up my right thigh in attempt to free my foot. It caught tightly on a buried tree root, trapping my foot there more permanently. A razor-sharp, shooting pain bolted throughout my whole lower leg, causing me to drop it and cry out once more. I fervently shook my head 'no' in response to Derek's inquisition. More sobs escaped my lips, worsening Derek's look of concern.

We both were on the verge of hysterics when he said, "Alright, listen to me very carefully Odette. Your ankle might be broken. I need to go get help, so you'll have to stay here for a bit. I'll be as quick as possible." He made a move to bound off through the trees, but I grabbed hold of his forearm in a desperate plea.

"No! Derek, don't leave me here!" My vision was blurred from the never-ending flow of tears and it was almost completely dark out. I looked around frantically. I could see nothing of the forest around me, and that scared me half to death. I may have been a brave child, but I was a child nonetheless. I did not exactly want to be left out in the woods alone for gods-know-how-long.

"Shhhh," he soothed me, "Odette, I must. You have to understand that if I don't, you could very well be stuck out there until morning." He paused, letting that soak in. Yes, that would be much worse than being stuck out here for a half hour or so. My sobs quieted down, and he stroked my golden hair. "I'll be back soon, I promise." And then he was sprinting through the trees.

The minutes were long and excruciating. Five minutes became fifteen, and then twenty-five. After about half an hour, though, the hurt became somewhat bearable and my tears stopped coming altogether. It still was a harsh pain, but definitely less pointed. But because I was no longer focused on the pain and my vision was no longer blurred, I became aware of the surrounding forest and its dark, silent depths.

I was no stupid child that believed in monsters of the night and all those silly myths told by the older servants, but I knew that there were real and dangerous creatures that lurked in the woods at night. Once or twice from my window on the edge of the forest, if I looked outside the little window above my bed I could see the far-off yellow eyes of some great, dark animal pacing back and forth—never close enough for me to make out the rest of its form, but just where I could see its glowing, haunting eyes. It was almost like a wolf, I think, but bigger. The elusive creature had been sighted by one or two other villagers as well, but it talk of it tended to be brushed off as superstitious folly. It used to give me nightmares but I eventually accepted that it only came out at night, and even then, it never crossed the border between the forest and the village. Besides, I had never been alone in the woods at night so I had never had a reason to worry over it— until now, that is.

My thoughts became jumpy and frantic. What if that great animal was out here, right now, just watching me? What could I do to defend myself? I was injured and tiny and weak. _Or what if it got Derek before he could even get to the castle?_

I cringed as even more dark thoughts began to consume my mind.

 _He purposely left me out here. He lied when he said he would come back. Oh, how didn't I see it! He hates me, he even said so! He's never coming back for me!_

I suddenly began to claw at the dirt above the hole where my ankle was trapped, my arms frenzied and out of control. I had to get out of here, I had to get back. I had to find Derek.

I frantically struggled with the dirt for fifteen minutes before the soil was finally loose enough where I could pull my foot free without too much pain. I was completely prepared to limp or crawl or drag my lame foot all the way back to the castle. Just as I made a move to stand up, however, I heard loud movement from directly in front of me. I let out a strangled cry and tumbled backward onto the flat of my back.

"Odette?!" came the reply. Letting out a huge breath, I closed my eyes and allowed my head to loll back to the ground beneath me.

I gulped in a huge breath of air. "Over here," I announced. He bounded forward at an alarming rate, skidding to a halt once he had reached me.

"Are you alright? How did you get your foot out? Did you hurt yourself any more?"

Too exhausted and relieved to say anything, I simply shook my head in response and continued my deep breaths. It did not answer all his questions, but it seemed to be enough, for next he stopped speaking altogether and crouched down to grab my hand. Eventually, I found that I was able to speak again.

"You… didn't bring help?" I asked slowly, finally lifting my lids to glance around.

"They're on their way. I got your father and Old Tommy, the stable hand. But they were too slow so I ran ahead of them." He was still panting from the run, and his dark hair glistened and curled with fresh sweat. I sat up laboriously, using his large hand as support.

"I thought you weren't coming back," I admitted. For a moment, he looked baffled. Suddenly a touch of wildness lit up his his eyes, and he grinned as he gripped my hand tighter.

"I promised, didn't I?"


	4. Chapter 4

I waited. And waited. For the most part, enduring six and a half hellish years here had given me a decent amount of patience, but it was hard not to become frustrated when absolutely nothing happened. Dawn was approaching and I had done nothing but amble around the small lake like a dolt all night, just _waiting_.

I smiled unconsciously as I settled on a mossy boulder on the water bank, suddenly recalling my father telling me countless times that I was too impatient for my own good. I could never sit still when I knew that Papa would be buying me new slippers the next day or that my uncle Owyn would be travelling to visit Papa and I all the way from Essex. Even Derek would remind me that we had all the time in the world to go exploring and that I didn't need to rush him. I let out a derisive scoff at the memory. _All the time in the world._ Once upon a time I was naïve enough to believe it.

Idly, I picked up a palm sized rock and examined it's weight in my hands. I tried my hand at skipping in on the flat water before me. With a mocking clunk, it struck only once and disappeared beneath the surface. I sighed and dramatically threw myself backward, stretching my body over the damp boulder. Derek was always the better rock skipper.

Gods, I missed them.

For the first year in captivity, my young and stubborn resolve was enough to keep their memories alive, their images crisp in my mind. And although I still had the memories, they had become dull around the edges, almost dreamlike. The faces of those I love most had become blurry, and despite my best efforts I could no longer envision the exact arch in my father's brow when he was amused, or the endearing crookedness of Derek's strong nose. In the end I suppose it made the ordeal easier. After all, can you truly miss what you do not remember?

As dawn approached and the sky grew lighter, I felt the spark of hope that I began the night with fade to dark. One by one, doubts flooded my mind and threatened to overwhelm me entirely. How stupid of me to think that I could sense some sort of change coming. It would do me well to remember that I was an outsider here, a captive only; just because I had spend years living amongst the forest did _not_ make me a part of it. In fact, it was all too possible that this episode of mine was a result of being out here too long, the emptiness of the forest taking a toll on my mind and making me "sense" what was not actually true.

A deep sense of panic began to form in the pit of my belly. It took me years to come to terms with the idea that I may never escape this prison, convincing myself that at least I had my memories, at least I was in a comfortable, enchanting place and there were people who cared for me once upon a time. But what if this forest took my memories from me altogether? What if five, ten, _thirty_ years from now the already blurry face of my father ceased to exist?

I immediately cursed myself for ever thinking that forgetting their faces could be a blessing in disguise, could ever make it easier. How could I survive without the memories of those whom I love? Without them I would surely lose that which tethered me to my sanity.

Just as the tears that had been forming spilled over, there was a bright light at the corner of my eye. I was forced to shield my eyes as I turned toward the blazing sunrise.

Once my eyes had adjusted, I dropped my arms at my side and let the light overcome me. Sighing, I opened my eyes. I was covered with feathers of pearl.

* * *

I relished in the chilly water, savoring its cooling effect on my skin. A thick coating of feathers could most definitely intensify the sun's rays when it wanted to.

I had been floating upon the water for about an hour now, just letting it take me wherever it liked. There was not much one could do in this form. As a human, I had found many ways to occupy my time, but being a swan was much more dull. No legs to run with, no hands with which to grasp and feel the soft grass beneath my body. Only wings.

Of course, I always had the option of socializing with the other swans, but it was hard to sustain a conversation with them. Never being human, never seeing the world beyond the forest, their minds were so limited.

When I first discovered that I could communicate with other animals, during the first week or so after the curse had been cast, I was so elated and conversed with them as much as possible. But one can only endure so much chat of shedding feathers and eating underwater vegetation.

Padraig was, of course, excluded from this isolation I put myself in. Not a swan, but a toad, Padraig was my dearest friend. I could not imagine this dreary, monotonous life without his sense of humor and constant energy. I could only communicate with him when I was in my feathered form, but we managed.

I closed my eyes and continued to float. Basking in the sunlight, I imagined myself in some far distant place, anyplace other than here…

"Odette!"

Pause.

"Odette!"

The voice was steadily getting louder, and I recognized groggily that the source was running towards me.

"Yes, Padraig?" I asked, lazily keeping my eyes closed.

He had been out finding food for himself for the past little while, and was probably anxious to tell me about the enormous fly he caught, which I quite honestly did not want to hear. I was glad that, even if Von Rothbart cast this terrible curse upon me, at least he didn't turn me into some sort of animal that ate other animals. I most likely would have starved, or at least went hungry every day until I turned human again at nightfall.

Padraig stopped as soon as he reached the edge of the pond where I was floating, and began to pant from his fervent hopping.

"Padraig, I understand that you are very enthusiastic about your food-catching abilities, and I will happily concede that you are a talented frog, but it really is rather gross—" I was suddenly cut off by his overpowering voice. His tiny frog face was stone serious as he spoke.

"Odette. Hunter."

I froze with shock. A hunter? So close to the lake?

"In the forest?" I asked. He nodded gravely. I paused to think. "Any weapons?" I interrogated.

"Only a stick-looking thing. Very short, but very sharp."

I gulped. A dagger? He may not have a cross-bow, but a blade was well enough to kill any animal he could catch.

"Padraig, go hide. I'll warn the others." He nodded gravely, and then bounded off in the opposite direction. I quickly paddled off to the rest of the swans where they gathered and informed them of the human man approaching. Within just a few moments, only the waters harsh ripples gave indication of it's previous tenants.

As I prepared to take off after them, I heard large footsteps approaching.

Cursing, I whirled this way and that, searching for an escape route. There was no time to fly, for he would see me. So as fast as I possibly could, I scurried over to a deep bundle of cattails wading in the water and lodged myself deep between them. All I could do then was wait.

 _Waiting._ My small body shook with nerves as I thought about how I had waited for so long. Waited for years, waited all day for something. For an unexpected change that I somehow expected. Could this be it? Could this be what I had been waiting for all night and day, to be cornered and killed by a ruthless hunter? I almost laughed at the irony. I guess all I could do was wait for the answer.

Footsteps squelched in the muddy bank a few yards away. A deep voice mumbled incoherently, and there was the noise of something dropping. His bag? Suddenly the sound grew even louder as the man ran towards where I was, and I was splashed with water as he stumbled into the lake.

"Could it be?" he whispered to himself after he had sank to his knees in the shallow water. "Odette?" And then he was not whispering, but yelling for all to hear.

" _ODETTE!_ "


	5. Chapter 5

Frozen. I was frozen solid. For a short span of time, it was as if my mind had been disassembled, the pieces falling in a jumbled heap at my feet. Quick, sporadic thoughts burst through my mind one word at a time.

 _Human. Hunter. Swan. Human. Name. Mine. Man. Derek. Father. Human._

It had been my first encounter with a human in my six long years at the pond, and I didn't know what to make of it. The first human, and here he was looking for _me_. My brain could not comprehend how he fit into this puzzle, or why he was unyieldingly shouting my name between his strangled sobs.

I remained frozen for another moment or two, but then cautiously attempted to regain my wits. I deepened and slowed my breathing, then placed my mind in a forced calm that I had regularly used when speaking with Rothbart, the evil toad. It was a clever trick, this forced state of mind, as it made my thoughts like stones in a riverbed- still and oblivious to the raging waters around them. One by one, I retrieved the scrambled pieces of my mind.

Once I could think in full, coherent sentences again, I analyzed the situation.

There was a man.

A man with a knife.

He did not seem to be here for hunting purposes but rather with the intent of finding me.

My hiding spot prevented me from directly seeing the man, but the voice sounded young, too young to be my father.

My father was not fit enough to go hunting even when I was young, and so I doubted highly that he was here now, with this man.

The man seemed to be directly affected by me in some way or another, though I couldn't imagine why.

There were a few distinct splashing noises coming from the direction of the man, what I assumed to be him falling or dropping to his knees into the water.

Instinct and I suppose just plain curiosity begged me to peer around the cattails I was buried in in order to get a glimpse of he whom I had apparently caused so much grief. I dimly registered somewhere in the back of my mind that it was obviously smartest to remain hidden until the man passed through, but from the sounds of his ongoing cries, however, I did not expect him to be departing any time in the near future.

In the end, my curiosity beat out my common sense. As a child I had prided myself on my sense of adventure and my bravery regarding risk-taking, and both had been dormant too long. This strange new experience had awakened them in less than an instant.

Slowly as I could manage, I wiggled my round little swan body through the long stalks surrounding me. This task proved difficult to accomplish noiselessly, but I managed. Eventually I was close enough to the front of the cluster of cattails that I could arch my neck to peer out of them. And what I saw could only be described in one word: ragged.

I detected generous layers of dirt over every inch of the young man's exposed skin visible to me, including the back of his neck, his forearms, and his calves. The clothes he wore showed obvious sign of wear and tear, as if he had been adorning the same shirt and trousers for a week. His boots were worn, sturdy leather, the kind my father once wore whilst working in the garden, or a man might wear for a hard day's work at the plough. I could only see the back of his body, as he had moved further into the pond to kneel helplessly in its waters, but I'm sure that could I catch a glimpse of his face, it would be streaked with dirt as well.

I distractedly wondered what this poor lad had done to filthy himself up so well. For all his haggardly appearance, he vaguely reminded me of the homeless beggars that used to lurk right outside the castle gates.

So that was how the next few hours progressed; the young man knelt in the cool waters and wept into his palms, while I stared and pondered what his possible purpose he could have for being here.

Once or twice I allowed myself to contemplate the fact that this boy may very well be Derek come to save me. He did have a very similar dark, tousled hairstyle as Derek, and was somewhat muscularly toned like I imagined Derek to be as he got older, but these were the only obvious similarities I could detect. This man—judging by the hunch of his broad shoulders, and the pure helplessness in his cries—seemed too frail to be the boy I once knew to be tall and proud.

And of course there was always the matter of his clothing. The Derek I knew would never step foot out of his chambers looking anything close to this young man in front of me—again, he was much too proud.

Seeing as I was much too frightened to venture out of my safe and well-concealed hiding spot to catch a glimpse of his face, I determinedly decided that I did not know this man at all and that wishing for him to be Derek was a childish fancy. I was not some romantic little girl anymore. Imagining things and instilling myself with false hope was simply unacceptable.

And so I dared hope no more. I gave up guessing this stranger's identity, as it had so far proved utterly fruitless. From this point on, I would wait until he stood up and turned around so I could finally see his face. I had already waited the better part of an hour, and so what was one more? By this point he had finished weeping anyhow and was currently just sitting in the shallow water, staring despairingly at the water before him. I silently hoped that he would not take too long to get up, however, as my eyes were already feeling the weight of exhaustion press down upon them. But, no matter, I would be vigilant. I would keep post until I got what I desired.

I tiredly swatted at my cheek, silently willing whatever it was that was tickling me to go away. But to no avail. Mumbling incoherently, I rolled over onto my side. It wasn't until I heard the water slosh beneath me that I was suddenly awoken from my reverie.

I bolted upright to find myself sitting on the shores of the pond—half in the water, half out—and already back in my human form. Groaning, I turned around to find Jean-Marc innocently perched next to where my head had just lied.

I had fallen asleep. _Curses_ , I had fallen asleep! I begrudgingly stood up from where I sat in the shallow water, making sure to splish and splash and make an angry show of myself while doing it.

I was endlessly frustrated with myself. How could I have let this happen? How did I let someone so important get away without even getting a look at his _face?_

I suddenly remembered that Jean-Marc had been there too, had been the one to spy the man in the woods and come warn us all! Perhaps he could tell me what the man looked like!

In a blur, I whirled around to face the large toad. Before I could get the first word out of my mouth, however, I remembered. I could not communicate with other animals in my human form. I would have to wait until morning to ask Jean-Marc all the questions that were threatening to burst out of me at any given second.

Frustrated beyond belief, I let out a large huff and began to walk towards dry land. I was soon reminded by the wet, uncomfortable feeling all over me that, to top it all off, my dress was soaked to the bone. Wonderful.

This night could not get any worse.


End file.
